Neil McDonald says he was in a great professional situation as chief financial officer with AmeriQual, but he couldn’t pass up an opportunity to join Koch Enterprises in the same role.
“One of the main reasons I left was the fantastic respect I have for this family, this business, and what they do for the Tri-State community,” McDonald says of Koch Enterprises. “I wanted to be part of that and add value where I can.”
At Koch Enterprises, McDonald replaces Susan Parsons, who has been with the company for 40 years. Parsons will remain through the summer during McDonald’s transition.
Before joining AmeriQual — the privately held food packaging company based in Evansville — McDonald was a controller at MasterBrand Cabinets in Jasper, Indiana. He also held various roles with food and beverage manufacturer Nestle USA.
“Through these experiences with a family office and multiple large manufacturers, Neil has demonstrated success in such areas as strategic planning, forecasting, strategy, merger and acquisition, and product profitability improvements that I believe will be very beneficial to our organization,” Kevin Koch, president and CEO of Koch Enterprises, said in the press release announcing McDonald’s hiring.
McDonald is a Reitz Memorial High School graduate. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business in Bloomington, Indiana, as well as a master’s degree in business administration from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.
As Koch Enterprises’ CFO, McDonald will provide financial guidance and support to all seven company divisions — Amprod, Audubon Metals, Brake Supply, KOCH Finishing Systems, Gibbs, Koch Air, and South Western Communications — to achieve long-term sustainable growth expectations.
Evansville-based Koch Enterprises has a total workforce of more than 2,800.
McDonald knows he’s filling big shoes — Parsons is credited with being instrumental to the growth of Koch Enterprises and has been involved in numerous community endeavors over the years.
“She’s got a sterling reputation and has done a lot of fantastic things for this organization over 40 years,” McDonald says. “I think she’s leaving it in a good place.”
